One thing we can say for absolute certain, the Bible, and specifically the Old Testament, condemns using divination.  Leviticus 19:26 condemns divination and the seeking of omens, and Leviticus 19:31 condemns the use of mediums and “spiritists.”  God is certainly not approving of what is reported in Genesis 30:27.

But this leads us to a second question.  Did the divination that Laban had done actually reveal to him that he would be blessed, or was this simply a superstitious act, and therefore it was random luck which led to his conclusion?  The answer to this question is not clear.  Is the act of divination a way to access Satanic, demonic forces, or is it mere superstition?   I am not sure.  Perhaps sometimes one and at other times the other.  I believe that Satan is real, and demons are real, and I believe that these demonic forces can be accessed through certain kinds of witchcraft, so I am open to the possibility that Laban had actually learned from the divination.  However, I would say that we cannot be sure.   It is my opinion that most of the things people do today are foolish and silly.  For example, astrologers are just talking nonsense,  Mediums are just faking people out.  Palm readers are making it up out of their heads.  Ouija boards are just random.  However, it is possible that some of what these people do is actually interacting with real demonic forces.  We cannot be sure.  In any case, whether it is merely superstition, or whether it involves demonic powers, Christians ought to stay away from all of these things. Period. End of story.

I can say with great certainty that Genesis 30:27 is not promoting divination!  God hates all of these things.  But as to whether Laban actually learned something true from his divination, we cannot be certain.

John Oakes